KRWK

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KRWK
Rock 102
City of license Fargo, North Dakota
Broadcast area Fargo-Moorhead
Branding Rock 102
Slogan "Classic Rock That Really Rocks"
Frequency 101.9 FM (MHz)
First air date 1983
Format Classic rock
ERP 96,000 watts
HAAT 305 meters
Class C1
Facility ID 34422
Callsign meaning pun on Rock
Former callsigns KRRZ (1983-1986), KFGO-FM (1986-2002), KKBX (2002-2007)
Owner James Ingstad
(Radio Fargo-Moorhead, Inc.)
Sister stations KBVB, KFGO, KMJO, KVOX, WDAY-FM
Webcast Listen Live!
Website http://www.rock102online.com/

KRWK (101.9 FM, known as "Rock 102", is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format serving the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1983 under the call sign KRRZ. The station is currently owned by James Ingstad's Radio Fargo-Moorhead, Inc.

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[edit] History

The station began life in 1983 with the KRRZ call sign, broadcasting at 6,000 watts, with an adult contemporary format as "Magic 102". Upon upgrading to 93,000 in 1986, the station changed to a country format as "Country 102" with the KFGO-FM call sign. The KRRZ call sign was transferred to 1390 AM in Minot, North Dakota. As the country music scene heated up in the early 1990s, the station adopted the moniker of "Moose Country 102".

The station was sold to Otter Tail Power Company in 1995 along with KFGO-AM, KDLM-FM, KVOX-FM, and KVOX-AM. the stations were later sold to James Ingstad in 1999. In 2000, Clear Channel Communications bought Ingstad's stations, and changed the moniker to "K102", with a similar logo to co-owned "K102" (KEEY) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When KFGO-FM became classic rock as "The Box 101.9" in 2002, the station changed its call sign to KKBX to reflect "The Box" moniker.

Former KKBX The Box logo
Former KKBX The Box logo

On September 28, 2006 KKBX and the other Clear Channel stations in Fargo were sold to James Ingstad, who lives in Fargo. Ingstad once owned the stations and sold them in 2000, though KDAM didn't sign on until 2002. The sale was approved by the FCC on January 19, 2007.

On February 10, 2007, The Box tweaked to a mainstream rock "on shuffle", as a stunt, and changed its call sign to KRWK. On February 16, 2007, KRWK became "Rock 102" with a mainstream rock format. The station competes with Triad Broadcasting's active rock station KQWB-FM "Q98" and classic rock station KPFX "107.9 The Fox". KRWK recentally stopped broadcasting the The Bob & Tom Show in favor of their afternoon duo, Scotch & Dui.

On June 1, 2007, the transmitter used for Rock 102, WDAY-FM "Y94", and KFNW-FM went on fire putting the stations off the air. In April 2008, the station tweaked back to classic rock competing directly with KPFX.

[edit] Billboard controversy

Controversial Rock 102 billboard
Controversial Rock 102 billboard

On July 19, 2007, a woman wrote a letter to the editor to The Forum expressing concern over the appropriateness of a billboard of Rock 102 with a woman in tankini standing with a caption saying, "Now Turn Us On!" Station management has stated that the woman is not revealing, and more inappropriate images are found in magazines.[1]

[edit] References

[edit] External links